Well, here we are, Easter is over, and now we have copious amounts of those annoying plastic Easter eggs. (Well, actually we’re down a few because Ginger the cock-a-poo has discovered their charms!) But anyway, even if you don’t have scads on hand, they’re on sale everywhere for cheap, cheap, cheap! So here’s a coupla good reasons to get crafty with ’em!
Make your own Egg Rattle Snake complete with rattler! If you’ve got a dremel or drill handy, this is made only with eggs and some stretchy cording. This site has full step-by-step instructions. What little tyke wouldn’t enjoy this? (My cute nephew Ben would!)
Image from Instructables.com
Here’ a great idea using-your eggs as mold and making your own egg-shaped sidewalk chalk. You simply mix powdered tempera, water, and plaster of paris and then pour in into the eggs. Wait till it sets up, and voila! Egg-shaped chalk. And now that spring is springing, it’ll be time soon to get out there and decorate the driveway.
Image from FamilyFun Crafts
My personal favorite is making Rhythm Egg Shakers. I’ve made these in my career as a music therapist with folks ages 3 years to 90. Really. If you’d like a refresher you can see my tutorial on making Recycled Tissue Paper Ornaments, but really the process is simple.
Pick a filler material for your eggs. I like to put out bowls of rice, sand, lentils, popcorn, cheap plastic beads, paperclips, wood beads, etc. Part of the fun is seeing what things sound like inside the eggs. Have a sonic experiment! What sounds high? What has a clunky sound? Which fill is louder/softer? After you figure out what sounds best to you, close up your egg. You can give it a temporary seal with some masking tape.
Then you do your decoupage. Rip up 1-2 inch bits of tissue paper, wrapping paper, printed paper napkins, etc. (I use lots of leftover Christmas tissue.) Smear a thin layer of glue or Mod Podge over the plastic, and start laying down pieces of your tissue. Cover the whole egg, using a brush or your fingers to smooth the layers down. Make sure the tissue overlaps, and I recommend 2 layers to make sure the egg won’t break open if dropped. I like to put the eggs in a plastic egg carton to dry. About 2 hours later, flip the eggs over to make sure they dry on all sides.
Lastly, I like to do some surface decoration. I’ve used glitter paints, sequins, beads, micro beads (the ones with no holes) and glow-in-the dark fabric paints. I especially like glitter/fabric paints in the squeeze bottles. They make it easy to decorate! Make swirls, flowers, or other designs of your choice. Roll them in beads. Tap in sequins or rhinestones. Go crazy! I have a basket of egg shakers on the piano, and my kids love them for the different sounds, textures, and colors. (I kept the bead-y ones away from the toddlers- they like to bite them!)
Home made egg shakers are fun and decorative!
You can decorate your eggs for different holidays, or make a rainbow of them and use them in different music games. Too much fun!
- Spooky Spider Halloween Bookmark Craft - October 24, 2018
- Review and Demo of LDRS Hybrid Ink Pads - October 15, 2018
- Review and Demo of Nuvo Hybrid Inks - October 1, 2018
- Craft Studio Tour and Organization Ideas - September 20, 2018
- Wax Paper Resist Background Technique - March 20, 2018
- Comparison of Liquid Watercolor Markers/Pens - March 16, 2018
- SAI Japanese Traditional Watercolor Brush Markers- Review & Demo - February 23, 2018
- Rinea Metallic Foil Paper & Ghost Ink Review - February 21, 2018
- Jane Davenport debuts at Creativation 2018 & Watercolor Card - February 13, 2018
- Creativation 2018: New Product Showcase - January 20, 2018
Rhythm egg shakers are always a favorite and they’re the perfect size for little hands! For 14 more creative ways to reuse and recycle plastic eggs please visit http://trashn2tees.blogspot.com/2013/03/14-creative-ways-to-reuse-and-recycle.html?m=1